


"Hey, Kid."

by Stariceling



Category: Welcome to Hell - All Media Types
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Found Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-05
Updated: 2015-06-05
Packaged: 2018-03-30 09:05:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3931045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stariceling/pseuds/Stariceling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mephistopheles has been around enough humans to know he doesn't like them. Somehow he's still not sure what to think of a certain wanna-be demon trying to brighten his day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	"Hey, Kid."

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the Erica Wester's birthday zine.

He was making a point. Collecting the dregs of humanity, their files a never-ending list of reasons why they shouldn’t be, until there was some weight of truth to make even Her see. Seven deadly sins piled into more than seven hundred and boiled back down to one: destroying the lives of those around them.

Viciousness was the one quality inherent to all humans. He could see it in the anarchy and violence that sprang up the minute their souls were granted a reprieve, or in a boy not quite eighteen bouncing excitedly in his chair when he was offered a chance to kill.

  


Sock wasn't bouncing in excitement now. He was stretched out on his stomach, poking morosely at skittering ants that couldn't feel him. Tiny green sparks fizzed where they walked through him unaware.

"Hey, kid."

Sock scrambled up at the sound of his voice. "I was- I got kicked out," he quickly admitted. Apparently he hadn't realized yet that walking through walls made getting kicked out nothing more than a formality. "I don't know why he's so mad! I only sang that song like ten times."

Mephistopheles made a halfway amused noise, not quite impressed but whatever worked. "So you got him to notice you."

"I guess." Sock fidgeted. "I wish there was a way to do it faster. It feels like I'm just torturing him."

"Oh, don't worry. Plenty of time for that when you're done."

Sock was biting his lip. Mephistopheles checked his nails, running his thumb over them as he watched Sock's indecisive fidgeting out of the corner of his eye. It would be interesting to see which side Sock came out on, though he won either way. Not like he could actually lose a soul on this deal.

"There's more than one way to get him there," Mephistopheles suggested, just to see where Sock would go with that.

"Like: 'The road to Hell is paved with good intentions?'"

"More like greased with blood feuds and spite, but you get the picture."

"Oh." Sock braced his hand on his chin, thinking. It might be interesting to see what he came up with. Humans were always finding nasty ways to hurt each other that surprised even him.

  


Time had no meaning and yet he knew it was the weekend by the bright face peeking around his office door.

"Hey, kid." Mephistopheles was starting to see the appeal of weekends. Having a break from the reorganization now and then was somehow preserving his sanity.

"It's Halloween!" Sock announced. As if he hadn't been counting down to it for. . . Mephistopheles counted up the weekend visits in his head. He was fairly sure that made a month. Sock's excitement had increased exponentially the whole time.

It was almost endearing seeing the little dead boy get so excited, like the holiday was designed just for him.

"I thought first we could go visit your old stomping grounds."

"What stomping grounds?"

"And we can go trick or treating."

"Sock-"

"And we can scare people! I mean, you're the scariest thing anybody can think of, right?"

Mephistopheles wasn't sure if he should be offended or take that as a compliment. "Why would you think I want to go up there for some human holiday? I mean, really."

"But it's your holiday, right?" Somehow Sock didn't understand how ridiculous this whole thing was. "It's your holiday and it's the _best_ holiday."

Later Mephistopheles would catch himself wondering why had hadn't noticed Halloween a couple hundred years ago.

  


There was a commotion outside his office, which was no different from any other day, except. . . "Who's the biggest, bestest puppy in Hell? Is it you? Is it you? Yes, it's you times three!"

Since when did he have puppies? Mephistopheles had to give up his mountains of mind-numbing plans and investigate.

It was hardly a 'puppy.' The stray Cerberus that had taken to waiting outside his office in hopes of treats was rolled over on its back with Sock perched on top in an attempt to give it a belly rub. The sight was made more surreal by the fact that Cerberus was about eight feet tall at the shoulder and proportioned to match, and yet had all of its huge, menacing heads flopped back with tongues lolling out in bliss.

"You have the best dog ever," Sock told him, and then his voice dropped half on octave to talk to Cerberus, "Yes, you's the best. Yes you are."

"They're not mine. They just go around using the damned as chew toys, things like that." He couldn't help the grin. Sock was ridiculous. He'd never seen a human act this way around Cerberus before.

"I love dogs. But, well, I guess none of them ever liked me."

Cerberus obviously disagreed. The left head snuffled up to Sock and licked him with a tongue big enough to knock off his hat and leave his hair sticking straight up with dog drool.

Sock's laugh turned into a squawk. He grabbed for his hat and slid right off.

Mephistopheles caught him. Sock was too uncoordinated to remember to float. It was just a thing that happened, setting Sock on his feet with no nonsense and that was all there was to it.

Cerberus whined at the sudden lack of belly rubs.

"You don't need to be that big. _Down_ ," Mephistopheles told them firmly.

Cerberus wasn't exactly trained, but they still shrunk, condensing down until they didn't quite come up to Sock's shoulder.

"You know tricks too! What a good dog!" Sock was immediately occupied trying to scratch six ears at once as all three heads vied for attention.

There was only one thing Mephistopheles could do. He grabbed Sock's hat and shoved it back on his head. "Why don't you take them for a walk. Go stir up chaos somewhere else."

"Really? Okay!"

There was something more warm than he would have liked in his smile as he watched them go, Sock skipping gleefully and Cerberus's tail wagging hard enough for three.

  


"How bad is the Hall of Crippling Phobias?"

That was the last thing he needed Sock obsessing over. "Eh," he shrugged. How could it be as bad as the hell he was putting himself through, really. "Not your problem, right?"

"I guess, but. . . it's forever, right?" Wide green eyes turned on him, lit with a glow of hellfire and yet painfully sincere. "What happens if I don't hate him?"

"Who said you have to? I don't care, as long as you get the job done." He patted Sock's shoulder companionably. "You like your job, right?"

Sock brightened all at once, even though Mephistopheles had never promised Jonathan would like whatever job he was stuck with. That was his problem. "I love it!" Sock cried, and then, "Thanks, Dad."

Mephistopheles could almost hear the tick of the seconds until the words sunk in. Sock babbled something about having people to kill and oh look they were all dead around here better go topside, and bolted.

No repercussion seemed fitting for this. Mephistopheles wanted to be offended. He was no human's 'dad.' He didn't make Sock, or raise him. He was this kid's boss, and nothing else. It was well past the time when a positive influence would shift Sock's fate, and anyway Providence knew he was anything but.

If She was paying any attention it was also clear Sock needed someone to look after him, and it wasn't like anyone in heaven would move to help a friendly little demon. Who else would care what happened to Sock?

  


Mephistopheles still didn't like humans. They were vicious and self-centered and petty. What other species produced a kid who was actually eager to become a demon? He sometimes wondered how he had doomed himself to dealing with swarms of them.

Sock actually wasn't good at being a demon at all. He was too friendly, swayed too easily towards joy and life. A thought itched around the back of Mephistopheles's brain that he was too human. That couldn't be it. Mephistopheles actually enjoyed having Sock around. It was good to find Sock perched on his desk with a hopeful grin, legs swinging. The usual greeting meant more than usual. Just a human kid trying too hard to be a demon, sure, but Sock was _his_ kid.


End file.
